President gives himself wiggle room on White House tours

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You know I have to say this was not a a decision.

-- up to the White House but what the Secret Service explained to us was that they're gonna have to furlough some folks.

In order to allow the Secret Service to best fulfill its core mission.

The White House made -- decision that.

We would unfortunately have to temporarily suspend.

These two hours.

Well that was the president on ABC and Jay Carney earlier this week talking about the White House tours being suspended because of the sequester.

Present in that interview went on to say this about the sequester quote I'm always amused when people on the one hand say this question doesn't mean anything in the administration's exaggerating its effects.

And then whatever the specific effects are they -- on stream and say why are you doing that well there are consequences to congress not having to come up.

But the more sensible way to reduce the deficit.

So -- that let's bring in our panel from Washington senior.

Writer for the weekly standard Steve -- Charles Lane opinion writer for the Washington Post and syndicated columnist Charles crap -- Yes well I hear another demonstration of the way thousands.

Arm's length relationship with the truth.

Ben -- was a spontaneous riot.

We -- the presence is well weren't really sure.

And then this -- of these sort of state angrily says what difference does it make at this point.

And everybody considers it a brilliant rhetorical -- it was an empty.

Bluster.

And challenge that nobody picked up -- difference it makes.

Is -- truth matters and the origin of all that what's happening in North Africa really matters this is a more trivial example but again it always has a point.

And the point is was 22 to shut down the -- got deliberately.

As a way to apply the pain on the of the sequestered in a way that will be unmistakable will be out there and then you could then.

Turn and blame the Republicans which is the way administration has handled it though actually work he didn't help them people who understood this was a cynical move.

If the president had cut out what -- -- -- the troops by the new calculations.

He could have had three months of kids going through happily on the White House tumors so we can make choices he didn't and now he puts out.

Story a second stories out there and -- leaves it up to Jay Carney.

To doing -- -- gymnastics in America.

Here's what -- said today -- He's asked the White House to consult Secret Service if there's -- way.

-- to provide limited tourists it.

School groups Brothers and yeah that's being reviewed but I should be clear that the choices here that there's not an option here to reopen.

That the -- In general here because again.

That's not.

An option because of the sequester cuts and these are labor intensive.

Operations that require.

Thousands of man hours by the Secret Service.

What about this.

I don't know I I guess I'm not quite as scandalized about it as everyone else -- mean come on look this is what you do in politics this -- the old fireman's first or close Washington monument.

First Roy you know what if they have busted doing and well versed in India and and so what I mean VD's didn't question I have is why does it cost so much money to run White House tours why is it's so labor intensive why are there so many.

Hours of overtime built into this process nobody's asking those questions maybe the whole thing does need to be this expensive in the first place.

But really I mean -- it's and it seems to me entirely possible that both versions are true.

That at the Secret Service told him look here's a menu of things you can do to deal with the furlough an awareness that I operate one of them is convoy -- will do that.

Right and now they're getting called on tonight's Twitter question by the way at the fancy pants.

Asked this why don't we have Obama's -- pay for White House tours rich people are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to see him.

Steve.

Well I mean that's one idea there are other.

Private rich people who have offered to take for two hours that was shot down.

I think that the problem with giving the -- the White House to benefit out of matures is that they have now shown in.

Example after example after example that they haven't earned the benefit.

I -- so I don't think -- frankly deserve it at this point I thought the bigger news out of the out of the interview that he gave yesterday.

Was his once again he's almost cavalier attitude toward.

The growing debt I -- the president basically -- and that's not a problem it's not going to be a problem for a decade.

We really don't need to worry about it it's the same thing he told David Letterman last year in an interview six weeks before the election.

I think it's a shocking -- I think it is a problem for -- we're borrowing -- billion dollars a day that's a short term problem.

It suggests to me that the president is -- serious about.

Cutting the deficit he doesn't care much about the debt because he doesn't regarded as an urgent problem or at least not as urgent as Republicans and he certainly not willing to risk.

Political capital.

He ordered to do with -- to do address something he doesn't think he's a serious problem is that he said we don't have an immediate crisis in terms of -- in fact for the next ten years is going to be.

Is sustainable.

Place.

Charles this is watch.

He said in 2008.

The way bush has done it over the last eight years.

Is to take out a credit card from the bank of China in the name of our children.

Driving up our national debt.

From five trillion dollars for the first 42 president's number 43 added four trillion dollars by it won't -- So that we now have over nine trillion dollars of debt.

-- that we are gonna have to -- back.

30000 dollars for every man woman and child.

That's irresponsible.

It's unpatriotic and.

I'm patriotic.

Yes and extremely hypocritical.

As I was saying at arm's length relationship with the truth.

Truth for the president is what you can use he use it today and then now he's got a new truth and who use it now.

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President gives himself wiggle room on White House tours

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